Potato hand-dropping attachment



NITED 'STATES Alrv'rnivir FFIcij.

OIOERO H. FROST, OF LEE CENTR-F.,- ILLINOIS.

POTATOl HAN D-DROPPING ATTACHMENT.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 545,480, dated September3, 1895.

Application filed April 18, 1895. Serial No. 54.6.278- (No model.)

To a/ZZ whom if; may concern: l

Be it known that I, OIOERO H. FROST, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Lee Centre, in the county of Lee and State ofIllinois, have invented certain new and luseful improvements in themanner of planting potatoes and all large seeds that cannot be droppedby a cornplanter, of which the following is a specification.

My invention .relates to attachments for seed -droppers whereby potatoesand other large seeds may be dropped by hand; and it has for its objectto provide a device which will be simple and cheap and which may bequickly secured to or removed from the ordinary planters; and itconsists in the combination and improved construction of the parts ofthe same, as will be hereinafter more fully set forth.

Referring to the accompanying sheet of drawings, in which the samereference-letters indicate corresponding parts in each of the figures inwhich they occur, Figure l is a side view of an ordinary-seed-dropperwith my improvement secured thereto. Fig. 2 is a rear perspective viewof the attachmentdetached and with one of the parts in a position abovethe seed-box. Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional views of the upper portion ofthe attachment, and Fig. 5 is a side view of the seed-conductor andmeansfor attaching it to the seedbox.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, A indicates the seed-box,which may be of any desired shape and size, preferably of a rectangularshape and a trie larger than the top of the seed-box of the machine towhich it is attached. board N of the box is provided with an opening O,which registers with a hopper B at the top of the seed-conductor O. Thehopper B is secured to the board N by strips or connectors F F. Thehopper andthe conductor are each substantially semicylindrical, and thehopper is preferably made flaring for the purpose of receiving thematerial more readily as it is placed therein by the hand of theoperator. The upper end of the conductor O is secured to the bottom ofthe box A by means of a bracket G, and the lower end is provided with aprojection or shoulder J,

The rear wall or'face-v which fits under the rear end or heel of theshoe H. The distance between the bottom of the box A and the shoulder Jis such that when the attachment is placed upon the top of the seed-boxD of the machine the shoulder J will ft under the heel of the shoe andhold the parts in operative position.

To prevent the parts from becoming accidentally misplaced or removedfrom the dropper, I provide a clamp and ring E, which fit around thelower end of the conductor O and the standard L of the shoe H.

To assist in covering the seed after it has been deposited in the furrowmade by the shoe H, a chain K is secured to the shoe, so that it willform a loop to drag behind the end of the conductor and draw the dirtover into the furrow, so thatit will be pressed down over the seed bythe wheel of the machine.

To prevent the seed from accidentally pass` ing from the seed-box A intothe conductor C when the box is being filled and also when the machineis being turned around at the end of the row, a slide or stop-board P isdropped down upon the inside of the faceboard N into the lslot formed bythe strips or supports F. The slide is held in position by means of abutton T, which projects through a slotp in the upper edge of the slide.When the slot is in the box, the seed must be lifted over the top of thebox and dropped into the hopper B; but as soon as the seed has beenpartially removed from the box the slide can be taken out and the seedpassed into the hopper by putting it through the opening O, thusrendering it easy to put the seed into the hopper at all times, as whenthe box is filled the hands of the operator need not pass very" far ltodeliver the seed from the box over the side or rear wall of the box, andwhen the box is partly empty the seed may be delivered to the conductorthrough the opening O without being passed over the top of the board.

The wheel of the machine may be provided with indicators S S, which willguide the operator in depositing the seed at the proper time to securethe correctposit-ion of it in the furrow. v

In operation the attachment is secured to the ordinary seed-dropper byplacing the seed-box A upon the seed-box D on the ma- ICO -the seed isdropped into the conductor C through the hopper B and falls into thefurrow formed by the shoe H, where it is covered by the chain Kand thewheel of the machine.

As above described, it is evident that the invention can be made verycheaply and can be quickly secured to or removed from the ordinarycorn-dropper, and thereby avoid the necessity of having two completemachines.

When it is desired to use the seed-dropper for corn or other smallseeds, the attachment is removed and stored away and the machine usedfor its original purpose.

Having thus described my invention, l

claim- 1. In a potato hand dropping attachment for seed droppers, thecombination, with a seed box, the rear or face board of which isprovided with' an openin g, of a hopper secured to lthe board toregister with the opening, a seed conductor communicating with thehopper, the lower end of which is provided with means for engaging withthe heel of the shoe of the machine, and a slide for closing the topening through the face board, substantiall y as set forth.

2. In a potato hand dropping attachment for seed droppers, thecombination, with a seed box, the rear or face board of which isprovided with an opening, a semi-cylindrical flaring hopper secured tothe board to register with the opening, a semi-cylindrical seedconductorcommunicating with the hopper, the lower end of which isprovided with a shoulder for engaging with the shoe, a brace forsecuring the conductor to the hopper, and means for securingtheconductor to the standard of the shoe of the machine, substantially asset forth.

3. In a potato hand dropping attachment for seed droppers, thecombination, with a seed box, the rear or face board of which isprovided with an opening,a flaring semi-cylindrical hopper securedto theboardby means of strips or connectors forming slides, a re-` movableplate or slide within said slide and having a slot in its upper portion,a button on the board projecting throughl the slot, a conductor securedto the hopper and extending to the heel of the machine, and means forsecuring the conductor to the standard of the CICERO H. FROST.Witnesses:

J. MONROE MARKLEY, M. G. MARKLEY.

\ shoe of the machine, substantially as set forth. 6 o

